How many times is lion mentioned in the Bible?
The word lion appears 98 times in the King James Version, in 81 verses. Counting every form (lion, lions, lion's), it appears 150 times in 119 verses across 31 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses lion 88 times (139 with every form).
Lion in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of lion counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| lion | 98 | 88 |
| lions | 46 | 46 |
| lion's | 6 | 5 |
| Total | 150 | 139 |
Which books mention lion most
Lion appears in 31 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Kings and Psalms share the most, 13 each.
Also in: 1 Samuel (3), 2 Samuel (3), Deuteronomy (2), 2 Kings (2), 1 Chronicles (2), 2 Chronicles (2), Joel (2), Micah (2), Ecclesiastes (1), Song of Solomon (1), Lamentations (1), Zephaniah (1), Zechariah (1), 2 Timothy (1), Hebrews (1), 1 Peter (1).
First and last mention of lion
Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
The verse that uses it most is Nahum 2:11, 5 times:
Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
Where the two translations differ
2 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Deuteronomy 33:20: counted in the KJV only
And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
About Gad he said, “He who enlarges Gad is blessed. He dwells as a lioness, and tears the arm, yes, the crown of the head.
Hosea 13:8: counted in the KJV only
I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
I will meet them like a bear that is bereaved of her cubs, and will tear the covering of their heart. There I will devour them like a lioness. The wild animal will tear them.
Verses with lion on our topic pages
5 verses that use lion in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.
The wicked flee when no one pursues; but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
On: Courage
My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
On: Angels
But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
On: Strength
Common questions
How many times is lion in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 141 of the 150 uses are in the Old Testament and 9 in the New Testament. Lion appears in 31 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Kings and Psalms share the most, 13 each.
Where is lion first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 49:9: "Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" The last is Revelation 13:2.
More word counts: children, mother, father, friend, heart, holy, kindness, comfort, or all 107 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-02.